Nursing home patients play music together to help engage them and encourage a sense of community.
Music Therapy Overview
February 16, 2022
Listening to music is a form of music therapy, which is a new name for a practice people have done for centuries. Many cultures contain vibrant musical histories, with ancient songs and dances. Cultures also include musical aspects with a history of singing, dancing, and drumming. Many ancient cultures even used music for healing. The action of playing music together allows people to connect with others and with themselves.
“If you look back into your own lineage, you would find some of these things where people are singing, either repetitive songs or chants, and so I use a lot of that [in my work],” said Jennifer Berezan, a music healer.
During the World Wars, it was common for musicians to play songs for wounded and traumatized soldiers. Music was able to aid in the healing process, as mentioned by the Community Music Center of Boston (CMCB).
In the present day, listening to music in the car on the way to work, playing music in the school band, or singing in a choir are ways that music enters everyday aspects of people’s lives. However, many don’t understand the true power music has.
Part of what it means to be human is to be able to engage in music — Jennifer Berezan